1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, device, and computer program for determining a range to a target. More particularly, the invention relates to a method, device, and computer program for determining a second range to a target based on a first range and an angle to the target such that the parabolic trajectory of a projectile is accounted for in determining the second range.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is often desirable to determine accurate ranges to targets in various situations. For example, golfers utilize a range to a target, such as a range to a green or a pin positioned on the green, in determining club selection. Conventional devices have been developed to determine ranges to targets. However, these conventional devices determine ranges which only represent a straight-line distance to a target and which fail to account for the parabolic trajectory of projectiles, such as a golf ball, intended for the target. As a result, these conventional devices generate inaccurate results if a target is positioned above or below the device. For instance, if a target is positioned above a device, a projectile originating at the device, such as a struck golf ball, must be struck to travel a greater distance to reach the target than if the target was not positioned above the device due to the parabolic trajectory of the golf ball. Similarly, if a target is positioned below a device, a projectile originating at the device must be struck to travel a lesser distance to intersect the target than if the target was not positioned below the device. Conventional devices are unable to account for this increase or decrease in distance to a target caused by the trajectory of the projectile and the angle to the target.
As individuals often determine ranges to targets while outdoors on terrains of varying slopes, such as a golfer on a golf course, the inaccurate results generated by conventional range determining devices substantially inhibit the use of the devices and negate many beneficial aspects of the devices. For instance, a golfer is unlikely to utilize a range finding device which provides inaccurate yardage measurements over sloping terrain and thus is forced to use multiple devices to determine a single accurate range or manually estimate or guess at the correct yardage based on the determined range. Such use of estimations and multiple devices results in undesirable inconvenience and inaccuracy.